Free Press sports writer Orion Sang offers his observations for No. 18 Michigan's game against No. 14 Iowa : The Wolverines haven’t been very fortunate with turnovers this season. Their luck turned against Iowa — which entered the game with only one turnover on the season, tied for fewest in the nation. The Hawkeyes fumbled the ball on their opening play of the game. That led to a Michigan field goal. The Wolverines, meanwhile, escaped disaster early. Donovan Peoples-Jones fumbled the ball during a punt return, but Gemon Green recovered the ball. The very next play, running back Christian Turner fumbled while fighting for extra yardage — but Ben Bredeson came up with the loose ball. U-M’s luck seemed to run out on the following play, when quarterback Shea Patterson stared down a receiver and threw an interception. But Iowa handed the ball right back on the second play of the ensuing drive, when Nate Stanley threw a fade and safety Josh Metellus came over the top to pick off the pass. U-M had three turnover-worthy plays — and none of them led to any Iowa points. That has to be a win for the Wolverines. Michigan reached the end zone on its third possession, taking a 10-point lead. The possession kicked off with a 51-yard pass from Patterson to Nico Collins, who was in single coverage downfield. Patterson gave Collins a chance to make the play, and the big, rangy receiver did. Aside from that, though, Michigan's pass game was ineffective. With the big play removed, Patterson was just 2 of 9 passing for 10 yards and an interception over U-M's first four possessions. There was some pressure that forced hurried incompletions or throwaways. Patterson's accuracy wasn't great, either. And then Collins seemed to make a mistake on a crucial third down, when he caught a short crossing route 2 yards short of the sticks. At least, that seemed to be the case, given offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' reaction. After Michigan’s touchdown drive, the Wolverines ran 13 plays for 26 yards on their ensuing four possessions, gaining just one first down in that span. Michigan’s defense, which struggled badly in its first matchup against a ranked opponent this season, seemed to be up for the test against Iowa. The Hawkeyes first four possessions traveled just 16 yards on 10 plays, with the first and fourth possession ending in a fumble and interception, respectively. Iowa scored on the ensuing drive — but took 14 plays to cover 61 yards. The Wolverines came up with a stop near the goal-line, forcing an incompletion on third-and-goal when the Hawkeyes threw a fade, and Iowa settled for a field goal. Michigan’s defensive line faced a major test in Iowa’s offensive line, which features two potential first-round picks with left tackle Alaric Jackson and right tackle Tristan Wirfs. The Wolverines came up with enough plays to slow down the Hawkeyes. Defensive end Kwity Paye beat Jackson clean off the edge to sack Stanley and tank Iowa’s third drive (which began near midfield after a 37-yard kick return). A few drives later, he sacked Stanley again. During a second-quarter Iowa drive that reached Michigan’s 33, U-M’s pass rush forced Stanley into an intentional grounding penalty. The next play, Paye hurried Stanley into an incompletion, leading to a punt. Meanwhile, the defensive tackles — bolstered by the return of Michael Dwumfour — stood up in the run game. With sacks removed, Iowa had just 15 carries for 33 yards in the first half. Cornerback Lavert Hill put the exclamation point on a heckuva first-half performance, picking off Stanley on a deep ball in Michigan territory to end Iowa's last drive of the half. Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang . Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter .